1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a load racks, specifically to those used as bicycle racks on pickup trucks.
2. Description of Prior Art
There are a very few racks or carriers that are presently available for transporting bicycles on pickup trucks. The carrier with U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,840 to Allen (1985) is a carrier that is clamped to the tailgate of a pickup truck. When more than one bicycle is placed onto the carrier, they come in contact with one another which can scratch, bend or otherwise damage the contacted parts. Another carrier, manufactured by Yakima Co. in Arcada, Ca. 95521, that is presently on the market with a patent pending is one that spans with the width of the truck bed and is anchored on each side to the side walls of the truck bed. In its basic model, it holds only two bicycles. Additional holders can be added, but at a high monetary cost. Also, the bicycles to be transported must be partially disassembled to be mounted on the rack. A common characteristic of both of these carriers is that they include in their components large metal parts which are costly to manufacture. In addition, these carriers, when removed from the vehicle require a large amount of space in which it can be stored. Another load rack with U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,413 to Verwers (1961) is a cargo securing device that may be used on a pickup. However, securing a bicycle to this device would be cumbersome since the strap to secure the bicycle must be tied to at least two rings that are used in conjunction with anchoring elements after creating loops in the main strap through the anchoring elements. Furthermore, since the ring and anchoring element are not permanently attached to the main strap, there is a chance of loosing them, leaving the cargo securing device inoperable.